Jeweler&#39;s exhibition-tweezer



R. A. STONE.

IEWELERS EXHIBITION TWEEZERS. APPLICATION FILED AuG.2l, 1920.

1,382,867, I PatentedJune 28, 1921.

x A NOR/V576 UNITED STATES ROBERT A. STONE, 0F BABRINGTON, NEW JERSEY.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 28, 1921.

Application filed August 21, 1920. Serial No. 405,143.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT A. STONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Barrington, in the county of Camden, State of New erse have invented a new and useful J ewelers xhibition-Tweezer, of which the following is a specification.

My invention comprehends a device for exhibiting or displaying unmounted gems for the purpose of sale.

Jewelers, particularly retail jewelers, have heretofore been at a disadvantage in exhibiting to a customer unmounted gems, although it is frequently desirable in order to effect a sale to be able quickly and effectively to exhibit one after another, a considerable number of different gems.

I obviate this disadvantage by mounting the gem in an imitation ring-mounting which is adapted to grasp and temporarily retain any one of a group of selected gems of different sizes which can bequickly placed in and removed from the mounting.

For exhibition purposes, tweezers are ordinarily used; the disadvantage, however, being that to hold a gem picked up by them, the constant pressure of the fingers of the salesman is necessary, and if the pressure be released, the stone falls out of the grasping prongs of the tweezers, or if it be too greatly or unevenly exerted, there is the likelihood of the stone being snapped or flirted out from the pointsof the tweezers, so that it sometimes falls off the counter to the floor and 00- casionally is lost.

None of the tweezers of which I have "knowledge that .have heretofore been used 7 by dealers, are of such construction that they proper, which are adapted in their mounting are capable'of both picking up and exhibitingthe gem in the wayin which it will appear when set for use. V

The general object of my invention is the construction of a jewelers tweezers which embodies both the general appearance of a finger ring and the function of tweezers to take and to hold as applied to the ring, unmounted gems of different kinds and of diiferentldiamet'ers.

With such object in view, myinvention ,comprehends the construction of a simple and inexpensive device which can be easily manipulated by a salesman to pick up from a counter, tray or other support, with safety and, securityand without special effort or kil an un nted gem, Su h r n -l ma as a diamond, ruby, sapphire or other pre clous stone, so that when it has been picked up it will in effect be self-mounted in an, so to speak, imitation ring, in order to present the same, general appearance as the same stone would present were it set by a jewelry setter in the ordinary ring mounting.

After a gem has been so picked up and secured by my exibition tweezers, it can be readily and safely handled, passed from one person to another, offered to a customer for examination without fear that it may fall out, and, more than this, be offered to the customer to try on so that he may see how the particular stone selected and temporarily mounted, will lookwhen applied we permanent ring mounting to be put upon the finger.

My invention, so comprehending an exhlbition tweezers in the general form of a ring, a typical and preferred embodimentof it is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and hereinafter described, the particular subject-matter which I claim as novel being definitely specified in the claims.

The invention, however, may be generically'statedto comprise a gem support having the general contour of a split ring, which embodies gem-clamping members carried by and slidable with respect to said support and co-acting with resilient means to move them together into a position to clamp the gem or to permit of their being moved apart.

In the drawings, .7

F.'.gure 1 represents a side elevation of a pair of exhibition tweezers embodyingmy invention .and illustrated in'the position which the parts occupy when a gem of the smallest diameter contem lated for exhibition, has been grasped an :heldby it.

Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the device illustrated in Fig. 1. p

Fig. 8 represents a centrahside sectional elevationof the device represented in. Figs.

1 and 2, when the gemengaging fingers have Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings 1 represents a split ring, being a hollow or tubular member or support bent into preferably circular form and so that its open ,ends 2 are separated from each other a predetermined distance. This ring may be made of solid gold or of gold-filled stock, or of platinum, silver or other preferred material, and its external configuration may be such as its desired general appearance may suggest, it'being, however, formed with a hollow interior 3 extending throughout its length. In order that it may beslipped over a human finger, it is, as stated preferably circular.

Within the hollow interior of this support or ring member proper are mounted a pair of preferably semi-circular and counterpart gem-engaging orclamping members l, the outer ends of which extend oppositely and outwardly into the space beyond and between the open ends 2 of the ring, and are formed or provided with gemrlamping fingers 5, of which a given number are carried by each clamping member, and which, in the embodiment illustrated, are four in all, two being applied to each clamping member.

These clamping fingers .5 preferably'possees the general form of the beak-provided claws or mounting. V

The clamping members 4 are preferably counterparts, slidablewithin the hollow split prongs 6' of an ordinary ring ring, and extend tothe lower part of the ring, being, however, of a lesser length than thecircumference of the hollow interior of the ring, so that the1r nner ends designated as 7, do not meetbut are of such length as to leave between them, when mounted withinthe ring,, what I call a spring space 8, within: which is introduced a spiral spring 9 or other resilient device. V

The normal operation of this spring is by its expansion to retain the gem-clamping fingers together, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2,

but it also constitutes a resilient means susceptible of being compressed when the clamping members 4 have their clamping fingers 5- separated from each other or spread apartby .the action of pressure exerted by the fingers of a human hand upon a pair of thumb knobs 10, or kindred grasping devices, connected with each of the clamping members and extending through circumferentially extending thumb slots 11 i in the outer wall surface of the ring, preferably near its bottom portion.

The gem illustrated in dotted lines in Figs. 1, '3 and 4:, as secured in place by the claws of the clamping fingers, is designated 12,1and shown as occupying the position which a cut gem ordinarily occupies when made of filled gold, the

together to the extent necessary to spread.

apart the gem-clamping fingers a sullicient distance to admit the gem between them, after which the release ofthe thumb knobs will permit the expansion of the spring to the extent necessary to force the sliding clamping members and-their clamping fingers together upon and so as to firmly hold the gem.

The actlon of picking up the gem with the tweezers is preferably performed when the,

gem lies in an inverted position upon the supporting surface from which it .is tov be 7 taken up. I y c T It Wlll be obv ous that my device as an entirety is so simple that 1t can be manufactured at a small price,.that the partsarefew and durable, and according to the materials of which it is made or-the form which-is imparted to it, it may be made togsirnulate a natural ring mounting-whenmade of silver, for instance, exactly. to simulate the form of a platinum mounting, andfwhcn appearance of solid gokl r 5 i Q- r In the use of my invention for comparing, for instance, two gems,iit will be a pparent that by employing; two of mytweezersto grasp the twogems to be compared, a customer can determine by contrast how either of the gems will appear when mounted in an ordinary ring mounting. i

In assembling the elementsof the device, the spring'is first clropped into the emptied ring until it locates itself'in the spring space 8, and thereafter and before the application to them of the thumb knobs, sliding clamping members; are, through the open ends 2 dropped into the opposite sides of the ringv It will now be apparentthatl have devised a new and useful construction of a jewelers exhibition tweezers, which embodies theobjects and features of advantage enumerated as desirable-in; the statement of the invention and the above description, and

7 that while l have in vthe present instance,

shown and described a preferred embodt ment of it which has in practice givensatisfactory and reliable results, itis to be understood that the embodiment is susceptible of modification invarious particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

g 1. A device for exhibiting unmounted gems, which comprises a support having the general contour of a split ring,gem-c1amping members oppositely disposed and slidably carried by said support,and resilient means adapted to move said clamping members into clamped position upon a gem.

2. A device for exhibiting unmounted gems, which comprises a support having the general contour of a split ring,-gem-clamping members oppositely disposed and slidably carried by said support,-resilient means adapted to move said clamping members into clamped position upon a gem,-and grasping devices adapted to be manually manipulated to effect the opening or separa tion of the gem-clamping members.

3. A device for exhibiting unmounted gems, which comprises a support in the form of a tubular split ring,oppositely disposed gem-clamping members portions of which are slidable with respect to said support and portions of which extend beyond it and terminate in gem-clamping fingers,-and a spring interposed between the opposite inner ends of the gem-clamping members to move said members into clamped position upon 21 g 4. A device for exhibiting unmounted gems, which comprises a support in the form of a tubular split ring,o -ppositely disposed gers for clamping a ge1n,-slotted openings through the support,-and grasping devices secured to the inner ortions of the sliding gem-clamping mem ers and extending through said slotted openings, whereby the manual compression of the grasping devices will occasion thecompression of the spring and the separation of the clamping fingers and their release the expansion of the spring and the moving together of the clamping fingers. 1

5. A gem-exhibiting ring-mounting, which comprises, a hollow, circularsplit ring support which is open at its split ends and slotted intermediately of said ends,-a pair of segmental, opposing, gem-clamping members within said support, which respectively extend beyond its open ends and are provided with gem-grasping devices and also with thumb knobs which extend through the slots,and a spring within said support which bears against the inner ends of gemclamping members and is intermediate of the thumb knobs.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name the ninth day of August,

ROBERT A. STONE.

In the resence of- J ONSALE Txnon,

O. D. MOVAT. 

